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Evan Lloyd
Rev. Evan Lloyd (1734-1776) was an Anglo-Welsh poet and cleric. Life Lloyd was the 2nd son of John Lloyd of Vrondderw, near Bala, and a descendant of Robert Lloyd of Rhiwgoch, M.P. for Merioneth in 1601. He entered Jesus College, Oxford as a scholar on 22 March 1751, earning a B.A. in 1754 and an M.A. in 1757.Seccombe, 419. After taking orders and serving for a short time a curacy in London, he was, about 1762, presented to the vicarage of Llanvair Dyffryn Clwyd in Denbighshire. In his Welsh parsonage he devoted himself to cultivating the vein of satirical humour of which he had given evidence before going to Oxford. His first satire, The Powers of the Pen: A poem addressed to John Curre, Esquire, was written in 1765, and is chiefly concerned with an attack upon the two chief critics of the day: :Warburton — learning turned to curds, :Johnson — a catacomb (sic) of words. This was followed in 1766 by The Curate: A poem, inscribed to all the curates in England and Wales, which dwells mock-heroically upon the woes of curates and the slights put upon them alike by "pursy rectors" and by the more frivolous portions of society, and The Methodist: A poem, which appears to cloak a venomous attack upon a neighbouring squire, a certain "T-s-d." This indiscretion subjected Lloyd to an action for libel and an imprisonment in the king's bench, where he laid the foundations of a firm friendship with a fellow-prisoner and kindred spirit, John Wilkes.Seccombe, 420. The Conversation: A poem appeared in 1767. His last poem, an Epistle to David Garrick, Esq. (1773) is adorned with an emblematic frontispiece, in which Nature is depicted "leaning on the sarcophagus of Shakespeare, crowning Genius with laurel." The Epistle gained for Lloyd, who was already intimate with Churchill, Colman, and other wits of the time, the warm friendship of Garrick. The actor visited him at Llanvair and presented him with a drinking-cup, beautifully carved out of the famous mulberry tree in the form of the head of Shakespeare, moulded in silver and engraved with Garrick's crest. 2 interesting letters from Lloyd are included in Garrick's Correspondence (ed. 1832, i. 409, ii. 95). Unfortunately, a covert allusion in the Epistle to William Kenrick as a "be'doctored bat" conspired with his praise of Garrick to evoke Kenrick's very easily aroused wrath. In A Whipping for the Welsh Parson Kenrick mocked and bespattered Lloyd and other "filthy Yahoos" associated with him with his usual smart ferocity. Lloyd, who seems to have attempted no further imitations of Churchill's style, died unmarried in January 1776. He was buried in the family vault at Llanycil Church, Merionethshire; his epitaph, describing his ‘keen wit’ and ‘strong sense,’ being written by Wilkes. Publications *''The Curate: A poem''. London: Richardson & Urquhart, 1766. *''The Methodist: A poem. London: Richardson & Urquhart, 1766. *''The Powers of the Pen: A poem. London: Richardson & Urquhart, 1766. *''The Conversation: A poem''. London: Richardson & Urquhart, 1767. *''An Epistle to Garrick''. London: Richardson & Urquhart, 1773. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Evan Lloyd, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 8 2016. See also *Anglo-Welsh poets *List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Aug. 8, 2016. Notes External links ;Poems *"The Ode which is to be performed this Day at the Opening of the new Exhibition Room of the Royal Incorporated Society of Artists" *"The Methodist" ;Books * *''The Methodist'' & The Conversation at Amazon.com ;About *Rev. Evan Lloyd (1734-1776) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 Lloyd, Evan Category:1734 births Category:1776 deaths Category:Welsh Anglican priests Category:Welsh poets Category:Welsh satirists Category:People educated at Ruthin School Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Category:18th-century poets Category:Anglo-Welsh poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Welsh clergy